How Influential Is a Brand's Social Media Presence During the Holiday Season?

A brand’s social media presence can affect holiday purchase decisions, July 2016 research revealed. Indeed, more than half of US social media users polled said it has at least some influence on whether they’ll buy from the brand during the holiday season.

Looking more closely at the data from G/O Digital, a digital marketing company for local businesses—which surveyed 1,373 US social media users who had used Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in the past three months—nearly one in five social media users said a brand’s social media presence does influence their holiday purchase decisions, among other things.

Fewer respondents (7.4%)—though not insignificant—said that it was an important factor in their holiday decision-making process.

But while a brand’s social media presence can influence holiday shopping, it doesn’t mean that it necessarily does. For example, 44.7% of social media users said a brand’s social media presence is irrelevant to their decision-making process.

G/O Digital also looked at the various social media platforms that social media users turn to for holiday shopping ideas, and found that most turn to Facebook and Pinterest. In fact, 37.9% of respondents said they are most likely to turn to Facebook for holiday shopping inspiration, and 31.6% said they are most likely to turn to Pinterest. Some respondents indicated that they turn to Instagram and Twitter for holiday shopping inspiration, though not as large a share as those that rely on Facebook or Pinterest.